PSG
PSG beat Marseille without Mbappé as French star is not missed
The French forward was absent against Marseille, but PSG did not notice, with Kolo Muani leading the line.
Losing Kylian Mbappé, one of the best players in the world, to injury, is never a good sign for PSG. And that fact is highlighted even more when one takes into account that last weekend they played in the most important game of their season, against Marseille.
It was the 30th minute of the game when he asked to be taken off: the striker had been hobbling since the 8th after a strong challenge from Balerdi, sounding the alarms at the stadium which turned excited murmurs about the game to silence in a matter of seconds. Luis Enrique, however, knew what to do, and managed to keep the cogs spinning without their star man, winning 4-0 against PSG’s biggest rivals.
Who did PSG sign in the summer?
From the beginning of pre-season, the Spanish coach had been asking for attacking reinforcements in order to create a team in his image. Al Khelaïfi responded in kind, authorising deals put in place by Sporting Director Luis Campos: Gonçalo Ramos, Ousmane Dembélé, Kang-In Lee, Marco Asensio and Randal Kolo Muani all came in.
All of the new forwards, alongside Kylian Mbappé, were given playing time, in order to make sure they were fit and firing in the absence of the French captain, who was one of the main sources of worry during the pre-season run at the club.
Gonçalo Ramos showing his worth
The baptism of fire came on Sunday: with Mbappé injured, the man who had scored 8 in 12 so far, it was time for the others to shine. Gonçalo Ramos, criticised for his lack of goals, came on in place of the World Cup winner, and shone, filling the boots of PSG’s biggest and best player with no qualms.
The Portuguese forward scored twice, showing the supporters why he is considered one of Europe’s rising talents. If he keeps it up, the €65 million plus €15 million in variables won’t feel expensive for one second.
Kolo Muani is finding form
But it wasn’t only Ramos who made PSG fans ‘forget’ about Mbappé. Randal Kolo Muani, signed on the last day of the transfer market for €90 million, had his first fantastic night as a PSG player.
He scored the goal to take the game to 2-0 and got an amazing assist for Gonçalo Ramos’ second towards the end of the match. He had a difficult game in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund, but that fury, fire and rage was unleashed at the Parc de Princes against Marseille.
Barcola is the new Mbappé substitute
Luis Enrique, who has no favourites in the team, decided to start the match with Bradley Barcola. The Lyon youth team graduate was a thorn in the side for Marseille all game, generating chances and creating danger.
Jonathan Clauss, Marseille’s right-back, could not contain the ferocious forward and had a torrid night all game long. “I love this player”, said Luis Enrique afterwards. Played out on the left wing, his natural position, Barcola is another option for Luis Enrique to utilise when there is no Kylian.
Dembélé finally showing his true colours in PSG blue
And finally, there is Ousmane Dembélé. The ex-Barcelona winger took a huge weight off his shoulders by getting the assist for Gonçalo Ramos’ first goal as PSG scored their third goal of the night. His performance had caused doubt to creep in, after having not registered neither a goal nor an assist in any of his 7 games so far in a PSG shirt.
However, against Marseille he was the Dembélé we always hope to see: quick in the 1vs1 moments, winning his individual battles and assuring himself a place in the starting XI. Luis Enrique, for his part, has not left any room for doubt regarding the faith he has in the forward, saying that his effectiveness in the final third does not worry him at all.
How long is Mbappé injured for?
Mbappé's injury, however, does not look set to pose a long-term risk for the player this season. The Spanish coach said that “there is nothing serious, he’ll be back playing quickly”. Despite this, the 4-0 against Marseille showed there there is life beyond Mbappé. The utter dependency on the forward over the past years has diminished given that it finally appears that PSG have the squad to cope without the Frenchman.
